Is Teaching Classic Tales & Fables Still Relevant?

Whenever I get together with my friends from my teaching days the conversation leads to children and what they know and don't know. Often we speak of the classic nursery rhymes, Aesop's fables and fairy tales and how few students seem to know them. We are always amazed at their ability to comprehend technology from a tender age but comprehension of even The Three Little Pigs, Bears or Billy Goats can be surprisingly absent.

I was in the public schools for many years and educational trends can be a blessing and a curse. In our attempt to build literacy skills from a young age, the issue of writing became a major focus. The idea that the earlier we start children in the writing processes the better. So for even with our youngest learners in Pre-K, K and First grade we have established story writing centers for students to put into words their life experiences and ideas. But what if we have not established the story base from which to build. Are their own "stories" relevant before they have the ability to recite a nursery rhyme, sequence a story and act out a fairy tale?

As a speech pathologist I have held a theory that if a child can't express in words what they are learning and why they are not getting the full benefit. My teaching friends tell story upon story of fourth and Fifth grade children that cannot summarize a simple childhood story like Jack and The Beanstalk or The Boy Who Cried Wolf. This can be due to underdeveloped expressive language skills or unfamiliarity with the story but either way it needs to be remedied. Students do better with Fairy Tales due to Disney's proliferation of films but they are relating visual images not recall of the spoken or written word and there is a profound difference.

Classic stories teach values and rhythm of speech and help children build a foundation of general knowledge. Only then can they transfer their own ideas into a story. The curriculum is bulging in schools and truth be told there is no conceivable way for teachers to cover all of it. Old time activities are falling off the list and it is adding to the culture of technology first and verbal communication skills second.

Story exposure is not the sole responsibility of teachers and parents could do tremendous good in their child's development by consistently having reading time from a young age and covering the classics. Some teachers and parents are indeed managing to do this and do see the benefits. As a society we might do well to worry less about early writing and more about the love of reading for pleasure and the spark of imagination a classic story brings.

Scholastic Book Club Memories & Thumball's Future

Thumball is catching on and every new account is still exciting for us. Today we found out we are in the SCHOLASTIC Book Club Classroom Rewards Catalog. Only 425 bonus points needed. A Choice of 2 designs, Move Your Body Thumball or Parts of A Story Thumball.

See Scholastic Book Clubs are my fondest school memories. Place order, wait weeks but oh so worth the wait. New books! For our product to be available as an incentive for Teacher's to receive makes me proud.

I feel connected to the Educational market. Thumball is meaningful in every setting whether family game, training tool or custom marketing approach but education is where Thumball started and will always be where my heart is.

Those paper thin, crinkly 4 page Scholastic book club order forms were like the Sears catalog to me. I would read every selection and making my final choice was always difficult. I hope today's teachers will make Thumball one of their reward choices and will lead them to all 19 Thumball designs.

I love books, I love rewards, I love Scholastic and as big a corporation as they are they can still reach little girl's and boy's hearts and minds and maybe a big girl's heart too.

It's Like Christmas! New Thumball Samples Arrived

As we travel the country exhibiting Thumball we are pleased when our customers share their own ideas for what would make a great Thumball. Literacy skills are essential to every student's development. Teachers, speech pathologists, English as A Second Language instructors and educational experts everywhere encouraged us to create a fun meaningful way to expand reading comprehension and written expression. We are proud to unveil our latest designs.

Parts Of A Story Thumball:

• Teaches key elements of stories including plot, setting, characters, conflict etc.

• Improves verbal expression and organization of thoughts.

• A Book Report on a ball increases motivation and participation.

• Stimulates discussions, comparisons/contrasts and fact vs. opinion

Tell The Tale Thumball:

• The perfect companion to the Parts of A Story Thumball.

• Retell familiar fairy tales, fables and modern classics.

• Develops sequencing skills, brain mapping techniques, and verbal/non-verbal expression.

• Use for dramatic play, improvisation and cooperative team building.

Have a catch and then respond to the panel under your thumb. It is fun and challenging to recall the particulars of a story. The bright shiny colors add extra appeal. Parts of a Story Thumball facilitates verbal explanations of story elements and when combined as written prompts offers the ideal literacy building activity.

Every age group can enjoy these language building exercises. Tell The Tale Thumball promotes the oral tradition of storytelling. Some of the fables have us scratching our heads at first but then they come back to us and we can even recall the morale of the story. It is especially useful for children to listen to adults tell and describe the stories as it provides a model for them to emulate.

New additions to our Thumball family of products is a cause for great celebration for us. I am wearing my Santa hat and everything. Observing the simple yet powerful way children and adults become engaged in learning is a true reward for our hard work. This is a smart way to play in every sense and will build a base for a lifetime of reading for business and pleasure. What favorite children's story can you recall?